The Curious Case of My "Unknown" Stalker
What happened-
I had a mobile phone in India paired with an Indian SIM card. Now here in the US (where I'm currently kuppa kottufying*) I have the same mobile phone with (Surprise Surprise!) an American connection. I keep getting a particular kind of weird Call on my phone all the time. Sometimes, several days pass by with no signs of it, and on other days it wreaks vengeance with an annoyingly high frequency. For two years now I have had this problem. The Call leaves no trace. Never shows up in my Missed or Received Calls list. It comes up as "Unknown". You try to reason with whoever/whatever only to be greeted by dead silence on the other end. One can only wonder at the intellectual genius of the Call that can so effortlessly transcend SIM card boundaries!
What everyone said-
"You have a stalker! Kalakku**!!" (??? Seriously?)
"You have a stalker! Mass*** \m/ !!" (??? Again, SERIOUSLY?)
"That's it. You've got multiple personality disorder!" (Thank you 'Karthik Calling Karthik')
"Better call your service provider. I bet this is an ad service gone wrong" (Hmmm...)
"Wooooo......Woooooooo......Ghoooost...." (Grow up will you?)
The Call has been the topic of several amusing discussions with family and friends. It kindled a little something in everyone. Some became Private Eyes, some Exorcists, and a few others Psychiatrists. Everyone came up with theories. And me? I was just amused. The Call has been a fact of life. Nothing more, nothing less.
What also happened-
Sometimes, I press something on my phone (by mistake) and a box pops up on the screen saying "fake call activated". It is dawning on you now isn't it? No, please do not perform the face palm. That is my responsibility. This "fake call activated" thingy happens now and then and I knowingly ignored it so far, like a complete and utter Ignoramus.
Putting 2 and 2 together-
Took me TWO DAMN YEARS!!!!! Kill me somebody! Now! Please :(
for(int i=0; i<(365*2); i++)
{
    facepalm();
}
On the bright side, that's one less mystery in this world and I'm back in the Blogosphere.
On the darker side, that's one less mystery in this world and I'm back in the Blogosphere.
For brownie points, next time we meet, ask me about the telephone conversation that wound up on TV while my brother and I were watching a beach volleyball match on 'Doordarshan'!
*kuppa kottufying = Living (also a synonym for "throwing trash")
**kalakku = Cool
*** mass = Uber cool
Hi Vineeta,
ReplyDeleteRead a few of your posts. It feels good. Could you add a tab on this site to submit mail id so that I get an e-mail every time you post something.
Varun Vasudevan
Bangalore, India
Thanks for the suggestion Varun. Done :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful post Vineeta...Extra likes for the face palm coding :)
ReplyDeletea funny blog.... :) anyways was wondering if it could be this fake call feature in Samsung mobiles. The down navigation button might ve been pressed accidentally.. :P http://www.geekologie.com/2011/01/samsung-cell-phones-fake-call.php
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
ReplyDelete